During the year 1816 the battalion continued to be stationed at Colombo.

In the month of September 1817, intimation was received at Colombo, that several Candian chiefs, who were hostile to British interests, were making preparations in various parts of the interior provinces of Ceylon, in favour of a new claimant to the throne of Candy, who subsequently arrived in the island from the continent of India, and they actually commenced hostilities on the 25th of October, 1817, by the murder of a native Mahandiram in Ouva, and by that of Mr. Wilson, the collector of that place, who had gone out to remonstrate with the natives assembled in the vicinity of Badulah.

Detachments from all the regiments stationed in Ceylon were in consequence ordered into the interior, and the SEVENTY-THIRD furnished for this service nearly the whole of the officers and men fit to march.

The head-quarters of the battalion were transferred, in December 1817, from Colombo to Trincomalee, and a detachment from the second battalion, which had been disbanded on the 4th of May, of this year, having arrived from England at the latter port, it was immediately ordered into the interior, where the rebellion had become general in the beginning of 1818.

On this service the battalion lost ten officers, and three hundred and sixty-six men, of whom only one officer (Lieutenant John Maclaine) and about twenty men were killed, or died of wounds inflicted by the enemy, the remainder having fallen victims to the unhealthiness of the climate, which even after the rebellion was subdued, continued to prove fatal to the officers and men who remained on service in the interior. The frequent exposure to the sun, and the heavy dews at night (when detachments were constantly on the march, particularly in the mountainous districts, where the enemy could not be surprised by day) together with a scarcity of provisions, brought on the jungle fever to an alarming extent, and had not an auxiliary force been sent from Madras, the interior of the island must of necessity have been evacuated.

In this harassing campaign, the superiority of the British over the native troops acting with them, was very evident; small parties only could be employed with effect, and therefore, more individual courage and exertion were required than with large bodies, where the excitement is much greater. The want of surgical aid was severely felt, and the officers at last, with the assistance of manuscript instructions, administered medicine, dressed wounds, and, on some occasions, performed trifling operations. Besides fever and dysentery, leech-bites were the occasion of many casualties.

The peculiar kind of warfare carried on during this campaign, afforded many opportunities for the officers and men to distinguish themselves. The following, among many instances, is deserving of record. A very small party of the SEVENTY-THIRD, in charge of Lance-Corporal Richard McLoughlin, was furiously attacked on its march to Badulah, by a numerous force; two men were killed, and the rest, instead of leaving their deceased comrades to the Candians, who generally mutilated the remains of British soldiers, divided; part remained in charge of the bodies, and the other portion, at an equal risk, proceeded to Badulah, a few miles distant, and returned with a reinforcement, that enabled them to carry off their deceased comrades, in spite of the exertions of the enemy to the contrary.

For this gallant conduct, medals were struck by the Ceylon Government for the following men, who, however, died of fever before they could be issued, namely, Lance-Corporal Richard McLoughlin, Privates John Wilson, Christopher Sheppard, and William Connor.

Whether the Waterloo medals worn by the men who formerly belonged to the Second Battalion, caused an extraordinary emulation amongst the other soldiers of the SEVENTY-THIRD is a question; it is, however, matter of fact, that their conduct during the whole of the campaign gave not only their own officers, but those of other corps, the highest satisfaction.

In 1819, the nineteenth regiment was ordered home from Ceylon, when one hundred and seventy-two men volunteered to the SEVENTY-THIRD regiment.

Upon the SEVENTY-THIRD being directed to proceed to England in 1821, all the men fit for service in a tropical climate were permitted to volunteer, in the first instance, to regiments in Ceylon, and ultimately to His Majesty’s regiments stationed in the territories of the East India Company.

A detachment of one subaltern, three serjeants, one drummer, and forty-six rank and file, embarked as Marines on board of His Majesty’s ship “Alligator,” on the 22nd of May, 1821; the remainder of the regiment embarked at Trincomalee on the 25th of June following, and landed at Gravesend on the 10th of November. It was then ordered to proceed to the barracks at Weedon, to which place the depôt of the regiment had been a short time before removed from Chichester, and where most of the men brought home were soon afterwards invalided.

The establishment of the regiment was, on its arrival, reduced to eight companies, forming a total of four field officers, eight captains, sixteen subalterns, five staff, twenty-nine serjeants, twelve drummers, twenty-four corporals, and five hundred and fifty-two privates.

In March, 1823, the regiment was ordered to proceed to Hull, and to furnish detachments at Chester, Carlisle, and Tynemouth: in May it marched to Edinburgh Castle, furnishing detachments at Glasgow, Stirling and Dumbarton Castles, and at Fort William.

In December, 1823, the regiment embarked at Port Patrick for Ireland, and was stationed at Castlebar, furnishing twelve small detachments within the limits of the counties of Mayo and Galway.

The regiment was assembled at Athlone in June, 1824, where it was quartered until July, 1825, when the head-quarters were removed to Naas, and detachments were furnished to Drogheda, Wicklow, Trim, and some villages in the counties of Kildare and Wicklow.

In 1825, the regiment was augmented to ten companies, consisting, while at home, of forty-two serjeants (including six staff serjeants), fourteen drummers, and seven hundred and forty rank and file; when ordered on foreign service to be divided into six service companies, of four serjeants, and eighty-six rank and file each; and four depôt companies for home service, consisting each of three serjeants, one drummer, and fifty-six rank and file.

In November, 1825, the regiment was reunited in the Royal Barracks at Dublin, where it continued until May, 1826, when, in consequence of riots in the manufacturing towns in Lancashire and Yorkshire, it was ordered to proceed to England. The head-quarters were fixed at Halifax, and detachments were sent to Huddersfield, Bradford, and to various other towns.

Tranquillity being restored in the above counties, the regiment was ordered to return to Dublin in July, 1826, and from thence it proceeded in August to occupy its former quarters at Naas, and the outposts.

In December following, the regiment received orders to march to Waterford, furnishing detachments at Kilkenny, Wexford, Carrick-on-Suir, and Duncannon Fort.

In August, 1827, the regiment was ordered to Fermoy, preparatory to embarkation, where in the course of the month, the service and depôt companies were formed.

The service companies embarked at Cove for Gibraltar towards the end of August and beginning of the following month, and arrived at their destination on the 10th, 17th, and 24th of September.

The depôt companies remained in Ireland during this and the two following years.

During the prevalence of the contagious and dreadful fever which visited Gibraltar in the year 1828, the SEVENTY-THIRD were encamped with the twenty-third Royal Welsh Fusiliers on Europa Flats, from the 10th of October to the 17th of January, 1829.

The casualties in the SEVENTY-THIRD were, compared with the other regiments in that garrison, fortunately limited to a small number. Out of nine officers and one hundred and ninety-six privates, who were attacked with the disease, only two officers and thirty-five men proved fatal cases. Lieutenant Hedworth Huddleston Williamson, and Assistant Surgeon John Gordon Fraser were the officers; the latter, though a very young assistant, fell a victim to his zeal for the service.

Whether the comparatively few casualties were attributable to the successful practice of the Surgeon George Martin, or some other accidental cause, can be only matter of conjecture. One thing, however, is certain, that His Excellency the Lieutenant-Governor, as well as numerous other officers unconnected with the regiment, acknowledged, in the most public manner, the talents and attention of Surgeon Martin, of the SEVENTY-THIRD, on this trying occasion.

Major-General Sir Frederick Adam, K.C.B., was appointed colonel of the SEVENTY-THIRD regiment on the 22nd of May, 1829, in succession to General George Lord Harris, G.C.B., deceased.

In December, 1829, the service companies embarked for Malta, where the last division arrived on the 31st of that month.

On the departure of the SEVENTY-THIRD from Gibraltar, His Excellency the Lieut.-Governor, General Sir George Don, G.C.B., issued the following order:—

The first two divisions of the regiment embarked on board the “Lord Suffield” and “Stentor” transports on the 2nd of December, and sailed the same day; the last division (head-quarters) embarked on board the “Henry Porcher” on the 8th. The first two ships reached Malta on the 20th of December, and performed the usual quarantine in the Lazaretto; but the “Henry Porcher” experienced such severe weather on the 10th and 11th off Capo de Gato, that she had to put back again to Gibraltar in distress. She, however, sailed again on the 15th, and the men landed in the Lazaretto on the 1st of January, 1830.

In February, 1830, the depôt companies were removed from Ireland to Great Britain.

The service companies remained in St. Elmo barracks during the year 1830, and at the periodical inspection which took place in April, the Commanding Officer (Colonel O’Connell), by desire of Major-General the Honorable Frederick Cavendish Ponsonby, Lieut.-Governor of Malta, issued the following order:—

On the 22nd of July, 1830, Colonel Maurice Charles O’Connell was promoted to the rank of Major-General; and on the 25th of the ensuing month the following farewell address was read to the regiment:—

“Major-General O’Connell, being removed from the SEVENTY-THIRD regiment by promotion, avails himself of the kindness of Major Lloyd, now commanding officer of the regiment, to address to it a few farewell words.

“The Major-General cannot contemplate his separation from a corps, endeared to him by all those sacred ties which bind the members of a family together, and which have, in their fullest sense, existed between him and the regiment for a period of nearly twenty-five years, that he has almost uninterruptedly commanded it in so many parts of His Majesty’s dominions, at home and abroad, without experiencing sensations which he would find it impossible to describe here, but which he feels most acutely. He will content himself with requesting the officers of the regiment, generally, to accept his most sincere thanks for the kindness that he experienced from them, and for the uniform, undeviating attention they have paid to his orders, and to his suggestions for the good of the regiment; where every officer merited his approbation, the Major-General cannot particularise individuals, but he feels himself called on by a sense of justice, as well as of duty, and he certainly has great pleasure in obeying that call, to offer to his friend Lieutenant and Adjutant Russell his most particular thanks for the zealous and effectual aid he has ever received from him in the discharge of every duty, and to declare, that to the exertions and abilities of this meritorious officer he is mainly indebted for the high state of discipline which has characterised the SEVENTY-THIRD regiment, in every garrison where it has been stationed.

“To the non-commissioned officers and men, he begs to express his thanks for, and his approbation of, their uniform good conduct, which he exhorts them to persevere in, as the surest means of insuring to themselves the approbation of their superiors, exemptions from punishment, and of preparing them for acquiring honor and glory, when called to meet the enemies of their country in the field.

“The Major-General will conclude by assuring both officers and men, that their happiness and glory will be for ever dear to him, and that to the latest day of his life he will consider the SEVENTY-THIRD regiment as part of his family, whose interests are inseparably interwoven with his own. Should any fortunate event ever enable him to promote the general welfare of the regiment, or the individual interest of any of its members, whether officers, non-commissioned officers, or privates, he hopes it is needless for him to declare with what pleasure he shall avail himself of the opportunity.

“He now, with sincerest good wishes for the health, happiness, and glory of the whole, bids them adieu.”[13]

In October, 1831, the depôt companies proceeded to Jersey.

On the 12th of April, 1834, the service companies embarked at Malta for the Ionian islands.

In September, 1835, the depôt companies embarked at Portsmouth for Cork.

Major-General William George Lord Harris, K.C.H., was removed from the colonelcy of the eighty-sixth to that of the SEVENTY-THIRD regiment on the 4th of December, 1835, in succession to Lieut.-General the Right Honorable Sir Frederick Adam, K.C.B., who was appointed colonel of the fifty-seventh regiment.

The service companies embarked at Zante for Gibraltar on the 21st of January, 1838, and arrived at that fortress in the following month. In April and May of that year they proceeded to Nova Scotia, and in July, 1838, were removed to Canada.

In June, 1839, the depôt companies were removed from Ireland to Great Britain.

The service companies embarked at Quebec for England on the 5th June, 1841, and arrived at Gosport in July, at which place they were stationed during the remainder of the year.

In April, 1842, the regiment proceeded to Woolwich, and in August to Bradford, from whence it was removed in September to Newport, in Monmouthshire.

During the year 1843 the regiment remained at Newport.

The regiment embarked by divisions at Newport, on the 8th and 16th of August, 1844, and disembarked at Kingstown, Dublin, on the 11th and 19th of that month. In December, the regiment moved from Richmond to the Royal Barracks at Dublin.

Major-General Sir Robert Henry Dick, K.C.B., was appointed colonel of the SEVENTY-THIRD regiment on the 10th of June, 1845, in succession to Lieut.-General William George Lord Harris, K.C.H., deceased.

The service companies, under the command of Lieut.-Colonel Charles Jowett Vander Meulen, embarked at Cork in H.M. troop-ship “Apollo” on the 29th of September, 1845, for the Cape of Good Hope. In consequence, however, of political events in South America, they were required (together with the reserve battalion of the forty-fifth regiment) by the British minister at Rio Janeiro to proceed to the river Plate, and they were disembarked at Monte Video in January, 1846.

On the 3rd of April, 1846, Major-General Sir John Grey, K.C.B., was appointed colonel of the SEVENTY-THIRD regiment, in succession to Major-General Sir Robert Henry Dick, K.C.B. and K.C.H., who was killed on the 10th of February, 1846, at the battle of Sobraon.

While the service companies were stationed at Monte Video, from January to July, 1846, they were employed in the protection of the town, and of the British merchants and inhabitants, against an Argentine force under General Oribe, who was investing the place.

In July, the service companies were re-embarked for the Cape of Good Hope, and arrived at Cape Town in August. After landing their sick, they were ordered to proceed to Waterloo Bay, near to the Great Fish River, there to disembark, and join the troops employed in the field against the Kaffirs, on which arduous duty the regiment was subsequently employed.

From the 1st of January to the 3rd of February, 1847, and from the 10th of September to the end of the year, the service companies were engaged in active field operations against the Kaffirs. On this service the SEVENTY-THIRD had the following officers killed, namely, Captain William Baker, Lieutenants Clarevaulx Faunt, and the Honorable William John Granville Chetwynd, Ensign William Burnop, and Surgeon Neil Stewart Campbell.

In January, 1848, the service companies proceeded to Fort Grey, where the head-quarters were stationed until July following, and in October they were removed from Fort D’Urban to Cape Town.

Major-General Richard Goddard Hare Clarges, C.B., was appointed colonel of the SEVENTY-THIRD regiment on the 18th of May, 1849, in succession to Major-General Sir John Grey, K.C.B., who was removed to the fifth Fusiliers.

During the year 1849 the service companies were stationed at Cape Town. The depôt companies also remained in Ireland.

In December, 1850, the head-quarters and four companies, under the command of Lieut.-Colonel William Eyre, were removed from Cape Town to the Buffalo mouth for the frontier, in consequence of an outbreak of the Kaffirs.

At the date of the conclusion of the present record, namely, 1st of May 1851, the service companies were in camp at King William’s Town, under Lieut.-Colonel Eyre. The depôt companies, under Major George Hankey Smith, continued to be stationed in Ireland.

1851.